Effects of the covid-19 pandemic have been felt by each and every Ugandan business, But, perhaps, businesses that depend on socializing have felt this pinch a little more. Avoiding crowds and maintaining distance from others meant that some wedding service providers had to just close shop. Afterall, what’s a wedding without people to attend it. What’s a bridal appointment when the country is in lockdown?
However, with the advent of ‘scientific weddings’, some wedding service providers have created lasting solutions to these challenges. Because, it’s evident that this pandemic is not going anywhere soon. One such service provider is Strat Bridal.
According to Tracy Kakuru Otatiina, the founder of brand, Strat Bridals is an upscale retail bridal boutique that represents elegance, simplicity, and class. Their offering is “ultra-chic, unique and luxurious wedding gowns and accessories with an exceptional and memorable experience a bride can share with her friends and family.”
In this chat, she discusses how she dealt with the impact of the pandemic on her business.
How has the pandemic affected business?
Our bridal business was affected in the early days of the pandemic in terms of production delays from our international supplies in Europe and Asia. Most of our suppliers were on lock down and were not able to meet
the shipment deadlines.
We were greatly affected when the lock down was effected in Uganda because we were not able to host any bridal parties and offer the experience we usually do. We typically host 6 – 10 people in our store however, this was not possible and it slowed the business down significantly.
How did you respond to these unique challenges?
Our business involves a lot of physical contact in terms of bridal fitting, we had to adjust the business to the times and ensure it is safe and comfortable for our brides. We offer video /virtual bridal appointments for our brides that are
unable to come to the store physically. We limit the number of guests per bridal party and we are following the Ministry of Health guidelines such as wearing masks, sanitizing and
social distancing. We are strictly open on appointment basis and host only one bridal party at a time.
Postponements?
We got a lot of our brides who had to postpone their wedding understandably, we have kept in close contact with them and some have been able to find the gown of their dreams at our store even during these times
What this period has taught us is that we are all unified through love, having a scientific wedding does not have to take away from the beautiful union of marriage. I would encourage all brides to keep an open mind, your day can be as special as you want it to be.
Strat Bridal believes that on her wedding day, a woman must look like a vision and it is this vision that we will make a reality.
weddings@satisfashionug.com
